Southerland has it backward on health care

Published: Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

From 1999 to 2009, Kaiser found that the insurance premiums had climbed 131 percent, or 13.1 percent per year, and workers’ contribution toward paying that premium jumped 128 percent, or 12.8 percent per year. In 1999, workers’ average contribution to the premium was $1,543, and in 2009 it was $3,515. For employers, their contribution was $4,247 in 1999 and $9,860 in 2009.

It appears that the congressman has it backward. It’s not “supply and demand”; with the health care and insurance system, they “demand” and we must “supply.”

JOSEPH BRUNNER Panama City

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Rep, Steve Southerland’s so-called town hall meeting Monday was a sham. All questions had to be submitted through Mayor Brudnicki, and if not to Mr. Southerland’s liking, they were answered with little substance, equivocation, and in some cases derision. He simply maintained a canned Republican tea party line that the government shutdown was all the fault of Democrats and that the president even supported it to bolster his ratings.

Mr. Southerland would not discuss this opinion; instead, he maintained an arrogant stance. He was not a representative of anything other that his own biased and mistaken views. I had expected a genuine dialogue exploring important issues. All we got was a one-sided conversation. Dialogue and compromise are the essence of democracy. This is not well-exemplified by Rep. Steve Southerland.

It was indeed a raucous crowd. While the town hall meeting started civilly enough when the topic turned to health care the mood turned decidedly ugly. Questions were shouted but the opponents didn’t want to hear the answers. Boos and worse were hurled around the room. The congressman’s supporters were initially shocked to silence but then began to react with anger themselves. Finally, a well-known radio personality gave the signal and the detractors stormed out in disgust. The tactic worked and Allan Boyd lost his bid for re-election.

If you wonder where the seeds for the uproar at Congressman Southerland’s town hall meeting Monday were laid, you merely have to go back four years.

Actually, Southerland handled the situation rather well, albeit by being a bit condescending toward the “poor 20 percent” that didn’t want to hear the truth. If you go to a town hall meeting expecting your representative, Republican or Democrat, to give you straight answers you are on a fool’s errand. They have too much to lose, their positions are too carefully crafted, their major donors too expectant of their consistency for them to deviate from the approved talking points. Better to sidestep and tap dance around the questions than to take them straight on.

Thus I was absolutely astounded when the congressman gave an unscripted answer to the last question asked. The question was, “What is your proposal to take the place of the Affordable Care Act?” As Southerland had pointed out three times in 55 minutes, he was one of 18 Republicans who met with the president in the meeting to avoid default. This meant that he had real power in the Republican Party. His answer would surely reflect the inner workings of party policy.

His answer? He believes in the power of the marketplace and the truth of supply and demand thus the free market should be left to itself and our health care system problems would resolve themselves. Is this valid? Wikipedia suggests no.

In 2004, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums grew 11.2 percent to $9,950 for family coverage, and $3,695 for a single person, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Education Trust.

Five years later, Kaiser’s 2009 survey found that employer health insurance premiums were $13,375 for a family and $4,824 for a single person. Less than half (46 percent) of employees at small firms with three to nine workers received coverage. As of 2008, the percentage of Americans receiving employer-sponsored health insurance had declined for the eighth consecutive year.

From 1999 to 2009, Kaiser found that the insurance premiums had climbed 131 percent, or 13.1 percent per year, and workers’ contribution toward paying that premium jumped 128 percent, or 12.8 percent per year. In 1999, workers’ average contribution to the premium was $1,543, and in 2009 it was $3,515. For employers, their contribution was $4,247 in 1999 and $9,860 in 2009.

It appears that the congressman has it backward. It’s not “supply and demand”; with the health care and insurance system, they “demand” and we must “supply.”

JOSEPH BRUNNER
Panama City

● ● ●

Rep, Steve Southerland’s so-called town hall meeting Monday was a sham. All questions had to be submitted through Mayor Brudnicki, and if not to Mr. Southerland’s liking, they were answered with little substance, equivocation, and in some cases derision. He simply maintained a canned Republican tea party line that the government shutdown was all the fault of Democrats and that the president even supported it to bolster his ratings.

Mr. Southerland would not discuss this opinion; instead, he maintained an arrogant stance. He was not a representative of anything other that his own biased and mistaken views. I had expected a genuine dialogue exploring important issues. All we got was a one-sided conversation. Dialogue and compromise are the essence of democracy. This is not well-exemplified by Rep. Steve Southerland.